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Today's Opinions

Why does federal bureaucracy need a bigger role in higher education? This is the question many of us are asking as the Obama Administration continues to propose policies that further government intrusion into our education system. Ensuring the opportunity for a quality education is important to America’s future.

Last Tuesday, the President came to the Capitol to speak to Congress and the American people about his priorities for our nation. While I appreciate the President’s recognition in Tuesday’s address that much more needs to be done to create jobs and opportunities for hardworking families, I have serious concerns with much of his approach for achieving these goals.

Leaders from 40 countries came to Paris on Jan. 11 to lead a million Parisians in a march to protest the murder of Charlie Hebdo journalists the previous week. German Chancellor Angela Merkel came to Paris as did Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was there as was Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, president of Mali, a Muslim majority country in North-Western Africa. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was also there and he and Keita shook hands.

I don’t understand a religion that doesn’t have a sense of humor.
On a broader scale, I don’t understand people, religious or not, who can’t laugh at themselves and the many absurdities of life. At least two out of the three major religions in our world value humor.
Jews, in particular, have always had a tradition of attempting to ease their long suffering with laughter. Why did the Jews wander in the desert for 40 years? Because one of them dropped a quarter!

The 2015 session of the Virginia General Assembly began last week. If you feel as though the last session never ended, you’re not alone. Last year’s lengthy budget impasse led to a long special session of the 2014 General Assembly, which formally ended a few minutes before the new session began.

On January 14 we officially adjourned the 2014 Special Session and began the 2015 Session in the Virginia House of Delegates. This year is a shorter, 45-day legislative session, but my colleagues and I are still committed to offering a substantive and robust agenda.
This year, I was reappointed to the House Committees Transportation and Counties, Cities, and Towns. In addition to my committee work, some of my priorities for this session include:

The General Assembly session began its 2015 session on January 14, the iciest day in recent memory. Capitol Square and all of the surrounding Richmond area had been pummeled with sleet and freezing rain early on the morning of the session’s opening day. As a result, Virginia’s leaders had to contend with treacherous walkways and roads as they made their way to begin the 46-day session.

It’s fitting that one of the first actions taken by the House of Representatives this year was a reading of the United States Constitution. As Members from both sides of the aisle read sections of our governing document, it was a reminder of the carefully balanced separation of powers outlined by our Founders.